In a surprising, yet altogether well-thought-out move, the Sharks team will arrive back in Durban on Saturday, having opted to do the bulk of their preparation for the London clash against the Crusaders at their Kings Park base. They will depart for London on Thursday night, arriving in London two days before the Sunday game.
A number of factors have played a part in the decision, not least of which the desire to break up what would be a marathon journey from New Zealand (the team is to face the Chiefs in Hamilton on Friday) all the way to London. By splitting the trip in half, the impact of the travel may be lessened, while there are added benefits in terms of being able to counter the inevitable jetlag by getting back to a familiar time zone more quickly.
South African teams find these four-week tours tough and while the Sharks have traditionally enjoyed them more than most, the pressures of being away from home and loved ones for a month take their toll on anyone. By opting to prepare for the Saders clash at home, the Sharks have effectively reduced their four-week tour to three weeks, plus a long weekend in London. Those concerned about the implications of facing the Stormers in Durban just six days after the Twickenham clash should hopefully see their fears allayed to an extent as well.
While the flight London is a long one, the fact that it can be comfortably done in a night with very little change in timezone means that, if you stretch your imagination just a little, one could almost view the Crusaders match as an away game against local opposition, rather than a full-blown foreign tour game. That is the mindset that the Sharks will be hoping get into and I’m sure that after five nights in their own comfortable beds, the team will approach the Crusaders match as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, with a real spring in their step, rather than as the last hurdle to be overcome in a tour that’s already been far too long.
Good thinking, Sharks, is all I can say. Now let’s welcome you back to Durban with a three-from-three tour record!
Tweet
Works for me, who ever came up with the idea to do it this way deserves a Beer!
Good call!
Great idea imo, could do wonders for the team.
Im glad they get to come back to their families..
No excuse now to lose this game!
very clever… in fact, so clever, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it 🙂
Good move. 😎
Don’t want any ‘Sharks were tired’ excuses when you lose to the Stormers. 😉 😛
Seems like a good idea even if its hard to imagine a game in London against the Crusaders as a local away game. 😀
Pity the Kiwi accommodation establishment that is now going to be heavily out of pocket.
@Salmonoid (Comment 7) : Well they are going to spend a bit more on travel.
Hope they travel business – just done the SA – Europe – SA run in economy got back Fri – eish. Those seats dont accomodate South african rugby players….
Sounds like a great idea.
The thing I’m worried about though is that the Sharks might have one foot on the plane when we play the Chiefs this weekend.
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 8) : Good job to have, being SANZAR’s travel agent.
Off Topic…when is Deysel back?
Would love to see him play some Vodacom Cup this weekend, but i have not heard any Deysel update for a while now.
and let’s not forget that we don’t need to take the SAME squad to England as we did to Aus/NZ.
This could see Deysel in the squad if he recovers?
@JJR (Comment 12) : not really off topic if he goes to London with the guys.
@KSA Shark © (Comment 14) : we also don’t need to take the whole squad just the match day 22. leaving some tired guys behind to recover for the stormers.
i can’t see them rushing deysel in without some sharks xv game time. we have all seen how adi and john have been rusty after their long lay off.
Good move all round. At leasat someone at the Sharks doesn’t have the IQ problems other SA teams suffer from.
@try time (Comment 16) : I would take 1 or 2 more than the match day 22 but the idea is the same.
@JJR (Comment 13) :
I think I saw that the game is being televised. 😎
Deysel is still 2-3 weeks away from playing
@robdylan (Comment 5) : good morning Rob and everyone …
Rob there is an article on Keo where it is said Ronnie Cooke and Marius Joubert is close to signing for the Sharks??
@robdylan (Comment 21) : 😛 damn rob every week for the past 6 weeks you tell us 2 to 3 weeks 😆 😆
@robdylan (Comment 21) :
Im assuming that is playing at all? Or for the Super Squad?
@sharks_lover (Comment 22) : if its on Keo then it wont happen!!!!
Wait for independent confirmation
@KSA Shark © (Comment 19) : good point. don’t need a player injuring himself in the captains run. and then we are a man down.
@Fattmann (Comment 25) : 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 20) : they definitely will show the game. the advertisers paid for all super rugby games, supersport has to oblige. it is also a landmark game, supersport wouldn’t want to miss this.
Do you think we might have a couple of Supersport commentators/NZ commentators fly up to do the commentators or will be stuck with a pair of British prats who try to put Superugby down at every opportunity and pump the Heineken Cup snorefest?
@Butchie34 (Comment 29) : it is a kiwi game so fox will send commentators. but do what i do and change to afrikaans when the commentary is rubbish. it is easier to switch off to it and focus on the game.
@try time (Comment 30) : I’ve tried that a couple of times but usually get some Afrikaans buffoon trying to pump the Bulls, so in SA commentary it’s a case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
The English Commentators are usually falling over Province all other teams are inferior to the hoops or blind drink (that’s you Bladesy) and the Afrikaans commentators are Bulle.
Hell, the only commentator who is close to being a Shark is Bros and he’s pretty bad.
@Butchie34 (Comment 31) : true. i don’t get excited with the sa commentators. i hate to say it but the best guys are andy and bobby. eventhough bobby gets on my moobs when he goes through the dictionery to find new words to describe things.
@Butchie34 (Comment 31) : oh and that grey/white haired guy is good. can’t remember his name though.
@try time (Comment 33) : The dude with the tach? He is decent, although he can also get a bit WP blinded.
Have to say that I enjoy the NZ/Aus commentators more than our SA kind. They are unashamedly biased toward their teams but are enjoyable to listen to. Our guys try to be neutral or suck up to the overseas teams and then make the sound of fingers on chalkboards seem to be enviable.
@Salmonoid (Comment 20) : Yup @robdylan (Comment 21) : Dammit…we need to be careful with how we manage Alberts…we need him for everygame until Deysel returns; then we can start rotating the 2 and keep them both fresh for Playoffs.
@Jarson (AddicteD) (Comment 8) : I am sure the financial incentive offered to the Sharks to play in London will more than make up for it.
@Butchie34 (Comment 34) : At least with some of the Aussie commentators you get a good laugh out of some of the stupid stuff they say.
the Joubert story is true… it’s been on the cards for more than a year.
I’ll get something up about it a bit later
@robdylan (Comment 38) :
What will Joubert add to the Sharks squad?
Except pissing off the youngsters!
@sharks_lover (Comment 23) : you’ve spotted my trick 🙂
I reckon Wolla will play some Vodacom Cup the week after next, if I had to guess. Maybe even next week.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 39) : Plum rates him
@try time (Comment 28) :
I was refering to the Vodacom Cup game against the Lion cubs. 😉
@robdylan (Comment 41) :
Question is, do you rate him Robbo?
@robdylan (Comment 40) : lol rob exactly why i said nothing further to fattman
😆
@Butchie34 (Comment 31) :
Andy Capostagnio comes across as a Sharks fan.
Regarding the WP / Stormers bias shown by some commentators, I love it when they are on and the Sharks are playing their team, and winning. Its justice to hear the pain in Mathew Pearces voice, not to mention the tears wekking in his eyes, as he realises they are going to lose.
@robdylan (Comment 40) : also rob i had heard but could not confirm, but i knew mentioning it here might get you to help confirm 😆 😆
and with keo putting it up gave me that chance to ask here
i am in 3 minds regarding both those players though
positive is jouberts experience as stefan will be retiring, cooke was quite a good center till he left , not sure about his growth as a player since then
😆 @ 3 minds hehehehe , i meant 2 minds 😆
@Salmonoid (Comment 42) : aaaah sorry sir. I assumed you were talking about the game this thread relates to. 😆
@sharks_lover (Comment 47) : My hesitation though comes from the fact that Joubert was a good centre when playing here and he might still be a good player but he is now 31 so how long will he carry on playing?
Ronnie Cooke is also a good player and is only 23/24 so he has a longer life than Marius Joubert.
But what about our own young players like Piet Lindeque who will be around even LONGER than Cooke.
@Butchie34 (Comment 34) : go rate them on supersport. i have.
Rob my main concern is players like jordaan not getting chances and they end up leaving ala whitely
@try time (Comment 51) : Haha, I also have and I slated them. Hopefully there are other people who share my distaste.
Only question what they are going to do with the ratings. “Oh well, our commentators suck they just have to get used to it.”
@Butchie34 (Comment 34) : The dude with the tach is Gavin Cowley. Played for EP for many years and then for Natal for a season or 2 if I remember correctly. Very decent fly-half and kept out of the Springbok team by one Naas Botha.
@sharks_lover (Comment 52) : I share your concern, although to my mind the sort of player who might see this as a threat is a guy like Jerome Pretoriua.
We tend to forget that Lindeque and Jordaan are still teenagers.
@try time (Comment 49) :
Sorry, I forgot my ADD meds this morning.
@robdylan (Comment 55) : true mate
but remember lambie is also a teenager , and they gave him a chance
do you know whats happened to wynand pienaar? the Fb come center?
@MysticShark (Comment 54) :
Dont remember Gavin Cowley playing for Natal. He was a great flyhalf. He also played a lot of cricket for Eastern Province.
I think he is the main honcho of Addidas SA these days.
@Butchie34 (Comment 53) :
Lets not forget the newest Cape addittion – Hanyani Shimangi.
@Salmonoid (Comment 59) : Don’t forget though that he played for the Sharks before he shifted to Province. Another in a long line of players who were behind Smittie and moved on before retiring. Players like Shimange and Lukas von Biljon.
This is going to be a great game, hopefully played in a sellout stadium with Twickers traditional atmosphere…
GO SHARKS!
@Butchie34 (Comment 60) : INteresting that you should bring up Lukas van Biljon as today is his 35th Birthday. I used to be a fan of him back in the day.
@Jeremiser (Comment 62) : Whatever happened to the guy?
He moved to the Lions after the Sharks played a couple of games and then disappeared.
@sharks_lover (Comment 57) : he’s still struggling to get properly fit after his leg break last year
@Butchie34 (Comment 63) : really struggled with his inner rage, that boy
@robdylan (Comment 65) : That he did.
I’m hoping that while Bissie is probably in the same mould in terms of go forward, he has control of his rage.
Well at least they will be on the same time zone. Though will have added extra travel. Takes awhile to get over jetlag. Probably only just be getting over the jetlag and off to London.
Anyhow now that it is on. Good luck to our team.
See that Twickers will be reduced to 55 000 seater for the game. Hope everyone that lives over there gets to the stadium.
@Butchie34 (Comment 34) : Yeah, never thought of that. Do hope it is a mix between Kiwi and Saffa commentators.
@Butchie34 (Comment 66) : Bissie strikes me as a HECK of a lot brighter than poor old Lukas ever was